The Merman's Captive [Fantasy][NaNoRenO]

[Kingv]

TITLE: The Merman's Captive
GENRE: Fantasy | BxG | BxB
RATING: 13+ for mild blood, violence and language.

My first try at NaNoRenO. I originally wasn't going to do anything on my own and try to join a group. But that didn't go as planned so I thought I'd at least try and put something together on my own. Trying to keep things short and sweet. My main goal of this game is to venture a bit out from my comfort zone and try something new. The story will be told from the perspective of a male protagonist. It will feature some potentially dark themes such as racial division, death and redemption. I'm also in the process of moving this month so I hope I'll be able to get the game out in time. Wish me luck! T_T

SYNOPSIS:
Cyn has always lead a pretty solitary lifestyle, never tending to worry much about anything, unless Sorren manages to get him wrapped up in some type of scheme. But when he's strapped for stones and in need of some fast cash, a seemingly easy retrieval job becomes much more than he bargained for. Now he's saddled with an insufferable mer who's only wish is to go home and get as far away from him as possible. The only way he's going to solve his problems is by selling the mer to the highest bidder. But can he really doom another soul to a fate he's been fighting against his whole life? Or will he finally give in and live up to his Noct heritage?

FEATURES:
-Branching story lines that are dependent on whom you choose at the start of the game
-A morality meter that tracks the decisions you make

CAST:
Will add more images as they're made.

“Who knows? Maybe I took pity on a mer than needed help. Or maybe I just like playing with my food.”
Cyn is a rather jaded, stubborn, and pessimistic merman. Although he prefers a solitary existence his twisted sense of humor and temper has known to get him into trouble. Cyn’s lived a hard life but has somehow managed to eek out a living in the Abyss despite his shortcomings. He spends his days on the outskirts of the area hunting fish and other small creatures. Is used to being seen as a misfit and has come to enjoy his uneventful life. The only person he’d consider a friend is Sorren. And that’s only on a good day.

"I don't see what the big deal is! It's not like I was going to eat your house guest without asking first....so...mind if I have a bite?”
Sorren is a Neon merman and longtime friend of Cyn. He excels at seduction and gains pleasure from making his victims fall in love with him before destroying them completely. Is quite handsome and charismatic, but has a childish personality that tends to annoy those around him. Sorren was born with a pigmentation disorder that caused his coloring to come out lighter than that of a typical Neon. He sympathizes with Cyns’ predicament and tries his best to look out for him.

"We shouldn't have never gone outside the city gates Korcha! It's so dark down here...d-do you think they'll come after us?"
Orla is an Aquarian mermaid that was forced into captivity. She's a bit of a crybaby and is used to being coddled by her brother. His loss hits her hard and she blames herself for what happens to them both. Sees the MC as a monster and hates that he's holding her prisoner. Is weak but as she grows stronger will find a way to be free.

"Stop being a baby Orla! lf you'd just go a little faster we could be back home before dark! We haven't run across anyone yet. I doubt they know we've escaped."
Korcha is an Aquarian merman that was forced into captivity. He's very impulsive, quick to anger and stubborn. Sees himself as a protector and is angry when he's unable to save his sister. Blames the MC for his problems and balks at being held a prisoner. Will fight tooth and nail to be free.

"I see...she doesn't look very well...If this is what I was getting back, it hardly seemed worth the effort..."
Pops-A Twil merchant that collects and sells various things found in the upper sea levels to the people in the Abyss. One of the goods he deals in currently is the sale and capture of other mers to the Noct of the Abyss. Is well learned about other mer species and has a fine eye for detail. Because of his sensitivity to light he often asks the MC to scavenge for goods in the upper sea levels.

"...what's the rush? Why not stay and have some fun?"
Thrall is a Twil merman who seems to have a long standing history of dislike with Cyn. Is adamant about the purity of his race and sees anything less than that disgusting.

MER SPECIES:
Aquarian mer are very colorful, lively and are generally well liked. Live in the upper levels of the sea. Are known to be very curious. They live in a city called Aquios but don't allow Noct to enter due to the danger they pose. Are very honest and open, which can sometimes come off as ignorance.
(DESIGN CUES: Tropical, Hawaiian, Greece)

Noct mer are known as being cannibalistic hunters that'll eat anything that happens to cross their paths. They live in the darkest depths of the ocean and have adapted by having bio luminescent markings/eyes, superior smell and strength. They make their home in an area called the Abyss, which lies in perpetual darkness far below the ocean. Not many who enter their city survive.

SUBSPECIES of Noct:
NEONS
Larger build with dark skin. Are sensitive to light but can tolerate it for a few hours at a time before being forced to lower ocean depths. Are more likely to be seen in upper ocean areas at night. Leach poison from fingertips at will that acts as a paralyzing agent. Will occasionally eat other mers if available but prefer game such as large mammals or fish. Are incredibly vain and will often use their looks to lure in prey. Are adorned with bio luminescent body markings that resemble tattoos which they use as a hunting tool.
(DESIGN CUES: Egyptian, poison, rain forest, death)

TWILS
Skintone ranges from very pale to extramural dark. Red mouths with sharp fangs. Are scavengers. Extremely sensitive to light so rarely leave areas of complete darkness. Are nocturnal. Will eat anything that crosses it's path, whether it be dead or alive. Have voracious appetites and fast metabolisms. Eyes are always glowing. Given their frail frames Twils are known as master manipulators who are well adept at playing mind games. Have bio luminescent appendages much like an angler fish.
(DESIGN CUES: Vampire, wraith, death, glutton)

SPRITES NEEDED:
Cyn(MC)- 100%
Sorren- 100%
Orla-100%
Korcha-0%
Pops-100%
Thrall- 100%
Shopkeeper- 100%

BACKGROUNDS NEEDED:
MC's House(Interior)- 100%
MC's House(Exterior)- 100%
Night Market-100%
Sea backdrop- 100%
Rocky area
Shop-100%

STATUS:
Outline - 100% (Contains all choices and story branches)
Script- 40% (Typing in the script and programming into Ren'Py at the same time)

WEEK1
The game contains 165 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 3,831 words,
for an average of 23.2 words per screen.
The game contains 4 menus.

WEEK 2
The game contains 293 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 6,623 words,
for an average of 22.6 words per screen.
The game contains 6 menus.

WEEK 3
N/A

WEEK 4
N/A

SCREENSHOTS:

MY NOTES:
Whew! Think I put all the basic info there. Sorry if the sprites and stuff look off. My flat screen monitor died on me so I had to go back to my old CRT monitor for the time being. Everything looks off and too big so it's really slowing me down. Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome.

[Googaboga]

I think everything is looking excellent so far :3. Mer-things are always good with me and I really like the idea of exploring different species within the race.

Good luck with your move and your first Nanoreno project C:

[Kingv]

I think everything is looking excellent so far :3. Mer-things are always good with me and I really like the idea of exploring different species within the race.

Good luck with your move and your first Nanoreno project C:

Thank you so much for your kind comment! I'm a big fan of mers as well and am interested in showing different sides of them. Best of luck with your project as well.

[Kingv]

Time sure has been flying by. Haven't gotten as much time as I'd like working these past few days but have managed to tinker with a few things.

Made a temporary logo which you can see in the first post. Still not feeling the name I came up with 100% but it's better than nothing. My original plan was to use Ren'Pys default GUI along with a custom textbox I made but it looks really weird. So I decided that I'll also be making a custom GUI. To save time I'll use some of the base design from my other VN, simplify the assets and make changes accordingly. The script is divided into four parts: the Prologue, Day1, Day 2, Day 3 and the Epilogue. Script wise the prologue is done and I'm wrapping up the end of Day 1. Here's a writing update:

Code: Select all

The game contains 206 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 4,962 words,
for an average of 24.1 words per screen.
The game contains 5 menus.

As far as art goes I finished up Cyn and Sorren's sprites.Next it's on the designing the mermaid and merman you can choose to pursue in the game. I have some rough sketches that I'll probably put in the tread for feedback. Next time I'll have more sketches to show as well as a WIP of the GUI.

[Googaboga]

It's great that things are coming along. Cyn and Sorren's expressions are lovely C:

[Kingv]

It's great that things are coming along. Cyn and Sorren's expressions are lovely C:

Thank you so much! I really like how they turned out as well. Hopefully the rest of the sprites go as smoothly.

Here's a few new screenshots of the GUI in game. I ended up changing the textbox from a teal color to dark blue. I also made rough designs for Pops, Cyn's sorta adoptive father and Roxy, a resident shopkeeper.

[Hazel-Bun]

How have I missed this!!! This looks amazing. Can't wait to date the fishes!

[Kingv]

How have I missed this!!! This looks amazing. Can't wait to date the fishes!

There are so many great project this year I'm not surprised it's gotten buried. ^^
BTW I'm loving all the progress you've made with Black Doves, I've been keeping up to date on your progress on Tumblr. Dark circus themes are one of my favorite and I wish your nothing but luck in getting it done!

Finished up the sprites for Pops as well as Thrall, a character I forgot about. I'll add his profile to the main post when I have time. Writing wise things are going ok. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through Day 2. I'm probably going to start looking around for a proof reader once everything's done since writing isn't my strong point. Really want to make sure everything flows correctly and makes sense for the story. This week I plan to focus on writing, sketching CGs, and working on the last two sprites between commissions and packing.

[Googaboga]

Oh my Thrall looks so amazing *o*. I love the design.

Dang it sounds like you're having a really busy week. I hope everything goes well :3.

[Kingv]

Oh my Thrall looks so amazing *o*. I love the design.

Dang it sounds like you're having a really busy week. I hope everything goes well :3.

Thanks! I love how he turned out as well. Thrall is such an arrogant pretty boy. Yeah, there's a lot going on. The big move is supposed to be this Saturday but I really want to delay it another week to make sure all the utilities are on first. But that might not be possible...Thanks so much for your well wishes! I'll just keep working on things as much possible and keep you guys updated.

Here are some concepts for Orla, one of the mers Cyn can take a possible interest in. I hesitate to say it could be a persuable relationship only because Orla's dialog as well as the story changes based on your choices. And in some instances she'll end up hating you more than anything.

[noeinan]

Oh man, I don't know how I missed this before! Looks awesome, I'll be watching your progress. And good luck!

[Kingv]

Oh man, I don't know how I missed this before! Looks awesome, I'll be watching your progress. And good luck!

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words!

I really need to make time to check out all the NaNo entries and perhaps comment on a few but I guess it'll have to wait for a bit longer. Still in the midst of moving. T_T

Here's a quick update on the script~

Code: Select all

The game contains 430 screens of dialogue.
These screens contain a total of 9,759 words,
for an average of 22.7 words per screen.
The game contains 8 menus.

Writing wise I'm right at the end of Day 2 and am working on the last choice menu. After that it's one to doing Day 3 which will contain all the endings of the game. I don't know if I'll have time to add Korcha's path to the game but as long as I get Orlas' done then I'll be happy. I don't have much free time to do art but I scraped together rough backgrounds for Cyn's house, specifically his bedroom and living room. They're rough and I want to add more to them, but if push comes to shove I can leave them in the game as is. It's better than the alternative of having blank background images.

[try10]

When I saw those handsome merman I thought this project was going to be BxB
I love stories about mermaids and I'll be watching the game progress. Good luck.

[Auro-Cyanide]

Looking as awesome as always Kingv! And so many sprites, omg o.o
The story and characters seem complex and fascinating. I look forward to it!

I understand the whole moving thing as well since I did it at the start of March so good luck with all that as well!

[Kingv]

When I saw those handsome merman I thought this project was going to be BxB
I love stories about mermaids and I'll be watching the game progress. Good luck.

Oh? That's kind of funny because even though Cyn and Sorren are just friends I planned to add a BxB route for Cyn and Korcha, just not the two friends. But looks like that won't happen since I'm running low on time. So for now it's just BxG even though their relationship isn't romantic in nature, unless you make certain choices. I'm glad you like the premises and will be keeping up on progress. Can't wait to share it with ya!

Looking as awesome as always Kingv! And so many sprites, omg o.o
The story and characters seem complex and fascinating. I look forward to it!

I understand the whole moving thing as well since I did it at the start of March so good luck with all that as well!

Aww, thanks so much! Just two more sprites to go and I'm done! I'm happy to know you like the story and characters thus far. Let's hope my writing is up to par with everything else. ^^
I'm glad someone else feels my pain. But if you can still get so much for your game done while moving it encourages me to keep going and do the best I can.

Here's another update.
Writing wise I'm on Day 3 and am writing out the endings. On the last day in game you're given three choices on what you want to do with the mer you've captured. Depending on what you choose as well as where you fall on the morality meter, which tracks the previous choices you've make in game, each decision has three possible outcomes which correlates to a different ending.

Still working on some aspects of the GUI as well. The main thing that's left is the Preferences Screen and possibly a gallery for CGs(which I still have to make). Figured out how to add a bubble sound effect to the hover button rollover states as well as animated the seahorse CTC icon. Now the three bubble next to it move like it's breathing.

Art has been a bit delayed with moving. My wrist has been acting up ever since I tried moving too many heavy things so I'm trying to let it rest as much as possible.